Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Durham "Justice"

Two small, but revealing, anecdotes from this morning's N&O.

The first: Jamal Manta Watson has been charged with killing James Webb and Tauarus Hamlett in August 2005. Assistant District Attorney Beth Koontz told the court that police consider Watson "one of the most dangerous people in Durham."

Watson's bail? $100,000.

The bail for Dave Evans, Reade Seligmann, and Collin Finnerty? $100,000--and that was only after defense attorneys successfully persuaded the court to reduce it from its initial $400,000, or four times the amount assigned to "one of the most dangerous people in Durham."

The second: A 48-year-old Durham man has been charged with two counts of statutory rape and incest, and one count of second-degree rape. (Bizarrely, the N&O doesn't reveal his name, because doing so would also identify the daugher's last name.) Mike Nifong's office alleges that the crimes lasted for more than two years, beginning in August 2004 and running through September 2006. Warrants for the man were issued on September 25.

The warrants were served and the man arrested yesterday--or 92 days after they were issued. That's 92 extra days the man was allowed to spend free. Perhaps Nifong will use the "overwork" excuse that he tried with the Times to rationalize his failure to produce the exculpatory DNA evidence.

43 comments:

Anonymous said...

KC do you want to make a bet that the NAACP will stick there noses in these cases and ask Nifong to reduce or drop the charges.

Durham seems to take it easy on its own people no matter the crime these days. They just don't like us Yankees at all.

Hay they did help get Nifong four more years in the DA's chair. Now they will be calling in all of there favors.

Like the NC State Rep said last night every case that comes thruogh that office is going to be looked at like never before. That is just because Nifong will have his hands in it.

Anonymous said...

Just because police get a warrant doesn't mean that the suspect is always going to be arrested the same day. Believe it or not, sometimes criminals hide from the police -- especially if they think the police may be trying to arrest them. Not saying that's what happened here, just that we don't know.

Anonymous said...

Many people think that Nifong is just a breath away from being investigated by the NC Bar or DOJ.

There are two questions:
1. NC Bar and DOJ have not yet done anything, in spite of very troubling evidence against Nifong. Given that, what makes people think they will find a gear and get into motion?
2. What makes people think that Civil Court is the answer to correcting Nifong's alledged sins? Why would Durham County Civil Court be any better than Durham County Criminal Court? Isn't it the same potential pool of judges and jury?

Anonymous said...

I find it interesting that Durham is spending huge amounts of money to promote this hoax, but cannot muster the resources to get murderers and real rapists off the street.

Remember, Liefong waited more than two weeks to get the "dangerous" Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty off the streets. Remember how Houston Baker was wailing about how the campus was terrified about these rapists running about?

Anonymous said...

The Durham Police Chief's daughter hid from the police for over a year to avoid being served so I guess it can be done.

Anonymous said...

I agree with 6:49pm on finding a suspect.

Also for some people $100,000 is impossible to raise, hence everyone knew the man would not be released.

We would need more details to intelligently discuss these events.

We would not want to be guilty of "Nifonging" someone.

Anonymous said...

Are you jumping to conclusions without adequately investigating?

Anonymous said...

Nothing would surprise me in NC, their justice system is totally out of control. I could have told you that 30 years ago. We as a group got stopped for speeding in some small town. They dragged us to a magistrate at 2AM and woke him up. The fine was 28 dollars, the bail, if the driver wanted to plea, not guilty, was 500 dollars, full cash bail. What is your option, the law knew they were dealing with Marines going back to base, UA was worse then a 28 dollar fine, so it went uncontested, because we didn't have the 500 dollars bail, but in NC when you have the money to fight, like the current selectees Reide, Collin and Dave, the people in NC, claim they are rich kids of priviledge. The unfortunate thing is that they are also Yankees, which makes things worse.

Eudaimo said...

How dangerous a person is is merely one factor in setting bail. A much more salient factor is the person's resources. That the Duke LAX players had bail set equal to a suspected murder does not necessarily mean that they are as dangerous as he, but that they have more resources than he. By comparison, Ex-Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling's bail was set at 5 Million dollars.

Also, it is by no means "bizarre" to not reveal a criminals' name where it would also reveal the identity of the victim. This is very frequently the case in child abuse/incest cases.

Anonymous said...

Not all things "Durham" are evil. I think unless "KC" has more info he misfired on these cases.

Howard said...

Why won't everyone leave poor Mr. Nyfong alone? Hasn't he suffered enough?

Anonymous said...

Howard: Nifong suffering? Get real. From a financial point of view, Nifong has suffered about 1/800000th as much as the LAX boys.

Anonymous said...

Howard,
I agree until Nifungu gets his husband at Butner, we should give him a break, Ratus will surely welcome him, since he is a former DA. Do you think he's have any DNA in his A** like Crystal? You want to be the wife or the husband?

kcjohnson9 said...

To the 6.58:

The double-murder suspect made bail.

On the lacrosse players' bail--it was set at $400K, but they weren't required to surrender their passports. The purpose of the high bail, therefore, seemed mostly to brand them as criminals in the public eye.

I agree it would be nice to know more about the incest charge and why it took so long for the not-terribly-efficient Durham PD to make the arrest. But in a case where the suspect's name isn't identified, it's hard to imagine that occurring. I understant the newspaper's rationale; I also disagree with it.

Unknown said...

As to Anon. @ 6:54pm -- re Durham Civil Court being potentially just as bad as Criminal Court -- I'm not sure if that would be true, but if so -- couldn't the maligned defendants bring charges in Federal Court for federal Civil Rights violations?

Anonymous said...

Nyfung has suffered a lot because of false charges from you people. He is the best DA in Amarica becuse he protects virgins like Crystal from rapists on the lacrosse team. Wendy Murphy says they are rapists and just because you guys forced Nyfgun to drop the charges doesnt mena they are not true,

Anonymous said...

And to think, a NC lawyer just announced today he is a presidential candidate for 2008. Does he not realize Liefong has destroyed any chance of NC attorney being elected president, and the state bar and other's have been reluctant to reel this individual in.
side note: complaints to AG still coming in

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news&id=4885680

Anonymous said...

Does Wendy Murphy agree with you that Crystal was a virgin on 3/13/06. I think she'd already had 2 children by then. Were they conceived immaculately?

Anonymous said...

John Edwards is shot down before coming out of the chute! And by a fellow Democrat attorney!! You know, I just LOVE irony.

And don't think that Edwards is going to be able to escape it. Not that this ambulance chaser ever had a realistic chance of winning the Democratic nomination, but it always is fun to watch a snake do a little dance.

I had no idea Crystal was a virgin, but I guess anything is possible in Wonderland.

Anonymous said...

Most of the post here have nothing to bail or criminals, getting released on bail. When bail is set the past of the defendent can be taken into account. Where he live and how long can be used. Can we find him/her later is also supposed to be taken into account. In the case of Reade, Collin and Dave, they are at their respected homes. Have shown up for all court appearance they are required to attend. What about the others?

Anonymous said...

6:49, that's likely true, but the sad thing is, Durham LE simply is not entitled to the benefit of the doubt anymore...

Anonymous said...

Bill I agree with you. John Edwards is dead in the water. He will be asked questions about Nifong from now till dooms day.

Edwards should just back out now while he can.

Crystal a vergin as of 3/06, the where did thous two kids come from. Right and I'm the first female pope.

Anonymous said...

in addition to my last post DPD chief Chamber's own daughter was on the run from the Durham cops. I'll bet that daddy knew where she was. Why isn't he charge with obstruction of justice?

Anonymous said...

Chalmer's daughter also had a special prosecutor appointed to prosecute her. Nifong recused himself.

Anonymous said...

When I check out the Durham papers each day, I am amazed at the amount of violent crime (and traffic accidents). I live in a large metropolitan area and we don't have the crime Durham does. That makes the resources and credibility wasted on this hoax all the worse. Durham would be nothing if not for Duke. The public schools are also bad. In the N&O I saw an article about how many failed state standards. The number that failed was above the target set.

Anonymous said...

I worked in the local felony jail for five years as an RN. Most of these guys go home to their mother's house after a crime is committed. I hope the $400,00 bail contributes to the law suit against all of Durham.

Anonymous said...

forgot to say I believe Edwards is done also and should just get out the race. I also agree it is not his year.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Edwards can represent Reade, Collin, and Dave and win a big lawsuit. Maybe he needs to chase some ambulances.

Perhaps when he announces officially in New Orleans, he can make the announcement from Rep. Jefferson's office. He just needs to steer clear of the freezer.

Anonymous said...

Now, now....don't talk about John-boy Edwards.

His Daddy was a millworker......and that's all you need to know!

Debrah

Anonymous said...

To Bill Anderson---

I don't recall the specifics of the case long ago that Edwards won which put at least 30 million in his pocket, but it was huge settlement.

He sued the company that made pool products when a little girl who was sitting against a pool drain was badly injured. The suction was so strong that her lower bowels were suctioned outside of her body.

Obviously, she will need special medical care daily for the rest of her life.

While I agree it's great that we have attorneys who can get substantial settlements for such horrific episodes........what makes me sick is that an attorney can take such a huge cut of the action for himself.

I couldn't take that kind of money from a victim.

Obviously, I don't possess the sensibilities of a lawyer.

John and Elizabeth Edwards are perhaps the most syrupy hypocrites on the campaign trail. No one needs to keep hearing Elizabeth's "instructions" on how to grieve.

Just self-righteous blowhards.

We all recall how the "sweet, kind, and caring mother" Elizabeth told a commentator during the 2004 campaign that she thought it was so sad that Lynn Cheney couldn't accept her daughter's homosexuality.

How dare that obese fat cow "instruct" another mother about the relationship she has with her own daughter.

Voters for the most part are average IQ's and are incapable of reading such a self-serving Liberal cow.

And I am no apologist for the Cheneys. Don't have a position one way or the other. Just saying that this self-righteous crap from the Edwards' is really disgusting.

And I agree with prior comments. Where is John Edwards on this gross injustice in Durham?

(BTW....since John-boy is announcing his run for the White House from down in New Orleans, Lousiana.....perhaps he can tell us about his Liberal buddy's $90,000 stash found hidden in a freezer.)

LOL!

Debrah

Anonymous said...

All this time Nifong wasted on the Duke non-rape, non-kidnapping, non-sexual assult case, a daughter was potentially victimized unnecessariy for an additional 92 days.

beyond injustice.

Anonymous said...

6.49 Soemtimes the police hide from the criminals too!

Anonymous said...

Howard 7.22.

The answer to your question is "NO".

Mr Nifongs suffering is just beginning .

What about those 3 boys and there families.....you don't think they are suffering then......of course they are and will carry the stigma to there graves..??!!!

Howard..... Get Real.

Anonymous said...

To KC, Bill Anderson, national media et al. If everyone spent as much time discussing President Bush's Iraq missteps (that have resulted in true human toll)as they are some false accusations about some lax players in Durham how much better we would all be. Please balance your outrage.

Anonymous said...

Debrah,
If Precious, aka Crystal Gail Mangum,had ask you for advice ref aborting her current pregnancy in its early stages,what would it have been ? Don't Fong your way out with no position one way or the other.

Anonymous said...

To 10:55PM--

Yes, I see that you are that same stalking coward.

I also see that you are fixated on the same tired question.

On the outside chance that you do not have a tic of some kind and that this is a serious query.......

.....as I have always been pro-choice, I would think that the strange woman should have an abortion post haste.

Why should Durham taxpayers have one more mouth to feed?

However, just thinking of a poor child having to be born to such an unhygenic and insane woman is the saddest.....and would constitute the best reason to abort.

Then she can be escorted to her prison cell.

Debrah

Anonymous said...

Debrah honey, are you still taking your meds as prescribed?

Anonymous said...

Please, try to understand me. I am a scholar of (at best) mediocre value. Were Shakespeare alive, he would whip my worthless butt for having dared to comment on his immortal works.

All of a sudden, out of the blue, I've got the best gig of my life. I was the PRESIDENT of a university which, in better times, would not have hired me to wash its restrooms.

Please don't judge me. People expected me to care about some sucker Lacrosse students, falsely accused. What are you people, nuts?? As long as I keep getting my $300,000 salary, why should I care whether HALF of my students would get beaten up, or raped by my best buddy Mike My-fong, or anything?

I believe that there is no truth, no values, no ethical foundation to anything. All I care is keeping my own - if you will - butt safe. If you believe I have different responsibilities, you are certifiable lunatics, and I gently invite you to look up a different university in which to get indoctrinated in Marxism. If you don't like me, tough cookie. I'll always find some other sh!tty students to pay taxes out of which my huge salary is being paid.

Thanks for reading my honest thoughts to the end.

Anonymous said...

Have we learned nothing from this case?

You just saw how easily an innocent person can be accused and indicted based on a false sexual assault allegation. A month later, you use as an example of a person who should be imprisoned someone who was ... accused of sexual assault! It's just as likely he is innocent as the Duke trio is innocent, at least without additional facts.

It is inappropriate, particularly in Durham, to treat an accusation or arrest for sexual assault as probative of anything other than the presence of some accusation: it does not tend to show the accused is actually guilty.

Anonymous said...

6:49 pm

Don't forget that this is the same DA's office and Durham PD that amazingly after two years was able to find Elmo the taxi driver. Never mind he was still driving a taxi and I believe for the same company that he drove for when the warrant was issued. They amazingly found him right after Reade established him as part of his alibi. Also don't forget that the Lacrosse investigator, I believe Himan, went to make the arrest and Nifong wanted to know when it was done. Think Himan and Nifong cared when this arrest was made. I doubt it.

Anonymous said...

Debrah,

why don't you just admit it? you want The baby aborted because it is black and the last thing you want is more blacks. The only reason you even give a damn about this case is because it involves some white boys being accused by a black woman which is something someone racist like you thinks should never happen, period. That is the real reason Nifong will be utterly destroyed as he should have let this case slide and not prosecuted regardless of the woman's complaint, if he was thinking about his career. the minute he brought charges, a lot of people here said he is going to be ruined because the white racists are not going to permit such a thing and they haven't.

Anonymous said...

To 6:20AM--

I am certainly pleased that I was searching for something in KC's archives and came upon your unfortunate post......although days have past.

You deserve no comment but for the fact that an ignorant and insular attacker as yourself uses that same old crutch "racist" to assist you when you have no basis from which to argue.

I hope that you and others on this blog find their way back to this post.......because you are exhibit A as to why the black community is in the shape it is still in after all the decades of a nonstop gravy train.

Your false accuser and Mike Nifong are both criminals. Nifong became one when he opened his big mouth to harm innocent men......knowing all along what a sleaze bag he was coddling---Crystal Gail Mangum.

Your problem and the problem of other black people who want innocent men harmed because they are white....is that most of us want justice.....and we have demanded it.

And now the whole country knows what dupes you guys in Durham are.....and how racism and the expectation of special treatment in all things defines your lives.

Sad, that.

Debrah

Anonymous said...

How would Mike Nyfung feel if his son were accused of a crime that he didn't do? I think Mike Nyfung should be put in jail. He ruined the lives of many people.